answer 6 questions by the scene

1. Who am I- How old? Where was I born? Where did I grow up? What is my socio-economic status? What is my level of education? What was my family life like? Parents? What is my physicality? Am I athletic? Intellectual? Confident? Shy? Am I a bully? Am I passive? Etc.

2. Where am I/What time is it, exactly- Describe in detail the immediate surroundings of the scene. Indoor or outdoor? Is it a place you know well or a new place? What are the objects you can see? What sounds do you hear? How does the place smell? What time is it? What decade, what year, what season, what month, what day, hour, minute? What makes this day/moment different than any other day/moment?

3. What are the given circumstances- What’s going on in the scene? What is the history that lead to these characters meeting? Why is this day/moment different than any other day/moment?

4. What is my character's relationship to my partner's character- describe the bond (or lack thereof) between these characters. What kind of relationship is it? Are they lovers? Friends? Enemies? Are they relatives? What’s the quality of their relationship? Strong, tenuous? What’s the history of their relationship? Be specific.

5. What do I need- this is about emotional need. Usually a character in a play has one overall need that they’re trying to get fulfilled. Potential answers to this question could be “I need my father’s approval.” “I need to feel free.” “ I need to feel in control.” “I need forgiveness.” “I need to win” “I need the world to see me as an important person.” Etc

6. What's keeping me from getting what I need- these are obstacles that create the dramatic conflict. Potential answers to this question are “I need feel romantic love from this person but they only see me as a friend.” “I need my mother to forgive me but my pride keeps getting in the way.”

7. What do I want my partner to do- these are concrete actions/gestures that you need your partner to enact in order to get your emotional need met. “I need my brother to acknowledge I exist by taking the earbuds out and having a real conversation.” “I need my wife to tell me the truth about how she feels.” “ I need the DMV agent to treat me like a human being, not just a number by looking at me and show me she’s listening to my situation”

8. How does my partner need to feel in order to do that thing- “I want my father to feel guilty,” “I want my girlfriend to feel empowered.” “I want my teacher to feel inspired.” “I want my boss to feel inferior.” Etc.

9. What do I do to make my partner feel that way- This is where action comes in. Verbs are very handy here. “I will demean him.” “I will manipulate her.” “I will seduce him.” “I will empower her.” “I will provoke him.” “I will encourage him.” “I will discourage her.” “I will intimidate her.” “I will confuse him.” Etc.

10. What do I do when I get what I need or I don't- this are the moments of transition or “beat changes” in a scene. If I’m not getting what I want, if my partner is not doing what I need them to do, then I either give up (not very dramatic) or change tactic (by changing verb.) “Ignoring her is not working so I will start to provoke her.” “Encouraging him is not working so I will start to seduce him.” Etc. Another big question is how do I react when I get what I want. Everybody enjoys getting what they need/want and there’s always a rush of pleasure. How does your character experience that moment? What do you do?